Shaun White: 2010 Rider of the Year #09

At X Games 13, Shaun White swept the freestyle events with wins in both slope and pipe. This most recent Aspen domination brought Shaun’s Winter X Gold count to nine and overall medal tally to fourteen, both of which are records. Speaking of records, JP Walker went on record with regards to Shaun’s domination in the pipe last winter, saying, “There doesn’t seem to be too much competition for him, and he pretty much shit all over Danny Davis in the pipe last year.”

FORGET WINGS—RED BULL GIVES YOU PIPES!

Not unlike a secret level in his namesake video game, Red Bull provided Shaun with a private backcountry TF in Silverton, Colorado last season. The Austrian energy-drink company even hired X Games pipe builder Frank Wells to sculpt this exclusive venue for White. The heli-accessed halfpipe played host to select media, including 60 Minutes reporters and WESCAM-adept filmers, while White invented and re-invented tricks with the aid of a foam pit.

Last year, Shaun White disappeared from the snowboard scene, holing up in the wilds of Colorado training for what would be the biggest winter of his life. This is the story of his year, the private halfpipe and one of the most progressive sessions in history. Red Bull’s Project X.